


The Cat and the Cinders

by Tempomental



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Standalone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempomental/pseuds/Tempomental
Summary: After a mission, Ladybug leaves something behind. Cat Noir decides that this is the purr-fect opportunity to find out who the love of his life really is.





	The Cat and the Cinders

**Prologue**

“Pound it!” they exclaimed in unison, performing their trademark fist-bump.

“So, My Lady--” Cat Noir started before a familiar insistent chirp cut him off.

“That’s my last one! Sorry, I’ve gotta go, Kitty… Bug out!” Ladybug raced to the nearest alley, as she didn’t trust her magic yo-yo to not disappear mid-swing. It was a good thing, too: right before she was around the corner, a blinding pink light enveloped her, leaving her as 14-year-old high-schooler Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She continued running, oblivious to anything that happened around her. Her only thought was to get far away from where Ladybug was last seen… and from her nosy partner.

Her nosy partner stood in the street. Sirens blared in the distance as emergency workers came to collect the latest akuma victim and take him to be evaluated. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pink flash just around the corner. “One day,” he said to himself, “I’m going to be there and see who that light reveals.” Cat Noir had always loved Ladybug, but since neither he nor Ladybug could be superheroes 100% of the time, he wanted to get to know her as a civilian too. He had been closer in the past -- on the other side of a storage closet door, once -- but had resisted the very strong temptation.

Cat Noir gave in to that temptation today, though, and that’s where the real story starts.

He raced to the corner where he had seen the light, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl of his dreams. He didn’t find Ladybug, though. He didn’t even find her alter-ego. What he did find was… a single, pink shoe.

**Chapter One**

“Thermochemistry,” barked Ms. Mendeleiev to the class as she scrawled it on the chalkboard, “is the study of heat in chemical reactions.”

Marinette sighed inwardly. First particle physics, now thermochemistry. This seemed to be a bit much for high-schoolers to be studying. In Literature only a few months ago they had studied a children’s story, for crying out loud! Her mind flashed back to Ms. Bustier telling them about Sleeping Beauty, and the poem she had found in the wastebasket after class was dismissed. A poem written by a certain dashing blond boy who sat in front of her.

Her reverie was interrupted by a sharp elbow in her side. “Girl, stop daydreaming and help me set this Bunsen burner up!” Startled, Marinette jumped out of her seat, knocking over an empty flask in the process. Alya Cesaire, her best friend, looked at her and gave her a soft smile and shake of the head. Alya loved Marinette, but knew that even though Marinette was a hopeless klutz, she was also a hopeless romantic. Under her breath, Alya teased “Thinking about your chemistry with Adrien, hmm?”

Marinette blushed a bit and connected the hose from the burner to the gas line on the work table. Ms. Mendeleiev set them to work performing experiments where they had to measure the heat given off by certain chemical reactions. Taking the flask she had knocked over, she went up to the teacher’s desk with the other students and crowded around to get the chemicals they would need.

“Bleugh, this green stuff smells like Camembert,” Chloe Bourgeois complained.

Adrien Agreste, the blond boy in question, felt a twitch underneath his shirt. His mind was elsewhere, too, but for a different reason.

**Chapter Two**

The night before, Cat Noir vaulted through Adrien’s open bedroom window and transformed back just after he landed. His eyes immediately went to the shoe he had found in the alley and brought back with him. Fashionable but not attention-getting. Size 42. Worn, but in good shape. It looked like there was some custom stitching on the side, as well.

Plagg floated lazily next to him. “Are you gonna add that to your Ladybug shrine? Maybe tack it up next to that poem she wrote you?”

“Very funny, Plagg. This is the first thing I’ve got that can give me a solid clue who Ladybug actually is! This is huge!” Adrien stared in amazement. “Now… how can I use this? How can I find out who the love of my life really is?”

Plagg dove into the shoe and quickly re-emerged. “Why doesn’t it smell like cheese? I thought all shoes smelled like cheese?” Adrien looked at his kwami sideways, waiting for the rest of the comment. “Yours do,” Plagg continued. Adrien loudly sighed and rolled his eyes at his friend.

“The only reason any part of me smells like cheese is because you like hiding your food in my clothes so you can snack all the time! Now focus, and help me out here!” Adrien tossed Plagg some cheese to see if he could get the kwami’s mind off of his stomach.

After swallowing greedily, Plagg spoke up: “Fine. We’ll talk about your sappy love stuff. There are only millions of teenage girls in Paris. Any one of them could be Ladybug! What are you going to do, go door-to-door to see whose foot this fits?”

“You know, that might not be a bad idea…”

“Yeah… _Charming_ ,” Plagg said sarcastically. “Why don’t you just have every teenage girl parade past you and you look at their feet? Everybody in this city seems to wear the same stuff day-in and day-out, anyway. Just look for whoever is dressed differently, for once! I’m hungry,” he concluded, zipping off to find more cheese.

Adrien, for his part, ignored Plagg and wandered over to his computer. There probably was an easier way than looking at every left foot in Paris. How could he do it without arousing suspicion? He sat, deep in thought, for a good half an hour. Finally, he sprang up and ran to his bedroom door.

“Nathalie?” He called out. “When is my father available? I have an idea for his next fashion line.”

**Chapter Three**

Back in class, Marinette had her hands full as she walked back to her work table. Chloe, for all her faults, was right on this occasion: the liquids were pretty smelly.

“Here, let me grab one of those for you,” Alya offered. “No offense, girl, but you seem extra-klutzy today. What’s up?”

“Oh, uh… I’m breaking in a new pair of shoes,” Marinette explained. “I haven’t had time to take the sides in yet, so they flop around a bit when I walk.” Poor Marinette had long, narrow feet, and had a hard time finding shoes that both fit her and fit her style. Losing half of her most favorite pair of shoes immediately after de-transforming last night wound her up a bit, but all in all, it was a small price to pay for having saved Paris.

Ms. Mendeleiev announced, “Now that we are all back to our work stations, I want you to follow these instructions exactly! Our goal is to get a slow reaction so you can measure the heat.” She turned around and started scribbling on the chalkboard again.

Alya and Marinette took careful notes on their tablets. Once the steps had been given, they lit the Bunsen burner and assembled the flask and thermometer on top of it. They added the smelly green liquid and took its temperature. They poured the smelly clear liquid into a separate container and wrote down its temperature.

“Hey, Max,” a voice said from the corner of the classroom. “I bet I can get my results quicker than you get yours!”

“Kim! That’s not how science works. Take your--”

The small explosion and resulting mess was enough to get the rest of class canceled and send the kids to an early lunch.

**Chapter Four**

“A… line of shoes?” Gabriel had inquired. “I’ve done shoes before, but only very rarely. Why should I do shoes?”

Adrien gulped. “Not just any shoes, Father. The Agreste brand is known for high fashion. All I’m saying is, high fashion, high _school_ … maybe we, I mean you, can…”

Gabriel interrupted, “I don’t want just anyone wearing my fashion! Luxury brands are for people who can afford them, Adrien. Not everybody should be able to walk in and buy Agreste clothing. Don’t they teach business at that school of yours?”

“Sorry, Father…” Adrien stammered. “It’s just… I… thought it could help out somehow. You’re always complaining about how your designers and assistants are incompetent. Maybe I could help with kids my age.” His words faded as he turned around, disappointed, and started to leave. Plagg had been right. Adrien’s idea was a bit ridiculous, after all.

Gabriel’s expression softened. It was nice to hear that Adrien was taking an interest in family affairs without having to be dragged through all of the Agreste traditions: piano, Chinese, fencing. “Wait,” he called. “I have been focused on designing for adults for a long time, now. Maybe it would be useful to know what you and your… well, people your age… wear. I’ll think about it. Now, go.”

Adrien turned and gave his father a sincere smile. “Thank you, Father.” He smiled even wider after he turned around and left.

**Chapter Five**

Since school had let out early, Marinette invited a few of her friends over to the bakery for pastries. Alya and Nino accepted, because they went everywhere together and Alya was Marinette’s best friend. They also accepted because Adrien’s bodyguard wouldn’t be at school to pick him up for another hour and a half, so this was a good opportunity to get Adrien and Marinette together. After getting each of them a fresh croissant, Marinette joined her friends at the park nearby.

“Did you see the look on Chloe’s face?” Alya was laughing. “She was nowhere near the explosion and started yelling about her hair and her jacket being ruined. She was probably on the phone to her daddy before the smoke cleared.”

Marinette chuckled around a mouthful of croissant. She could imagine the scene back at the hotel, with her berating anyone and everyone within earshot, playing about how she was almost killed and the teacher at the school should be fired for being so careless. The actual truth was that nobody was seriously injured, and walls could be repainted, and Kim would grow new eyebrows eventually.

“Hey Marinette, want to go play some video games?” Nino suggested. Nino was not good at video games, and neither was Alya. But Adrien and Marinette both were, and everybody knew it. Marinette froze. She would like nothing more than to be playing video games with Adrien right now. She would like nothing less than for Adrien to see her room right now, though. There was no way between the park and her bedroom to subtly race ahead and redecorate her walls. If only she could wave a magic wand...

She sat up straight. “Sure! Yeah! Let’s play some great! That would be games! I mean… oh, you know.” She stood up and started walking as casually as she could manage back to her house. Her shoes flipped and flopped against the ground. She stumbled a bit, and Adrien put out his hand to steady her. Marinette stammered something that sounded like “thanks” while Alya and Nino, following behind, grinned.

When everyone got to the bakery front door, Marinette asked Alya to get them each a coffee and meet them upstairs in five minutes. “Not. One. Minute. Sooner.” she whispered threateningly. Alya gave her a knowing smile and a wink.

Marinette bounded upstairs, and Tikki hopped out of her purse and joined her. “Tikki, I need…”

“My help taking down all the photos of Adrien, just like last time. He’ll find out eventually, Marinette.”

“On my terms, Tikki. OW!” she cried as she tripped and fell on the staircase. She limped the rest of the way up the stairs, stopped in the kitchen for some ice and a cloth to wrap it in, then climbed the ladder to her room. Tikki had done good work. “Thank you Tikki, you always watch out for me. I don’t know what I would do without you! Quick… hide!” Tikki raced behind Marinette’s computer screen as her friend’s voices came closer.

“Up here!” Marinette called. Alya, Nino, and finally Adrien climbed the stairs into her room. Even through the pain in her knee, Marinette still registered her heart skipping a beat. What that boy did to her!

“Girl, what happened?” Alya teased, noticing the ice pack on her knee.

“Are you alright?” Adrien asked. With Adrien speaking to her, she was more than alright, she was perfectly fine, thank you very much. She would be fine forever.

Her mouth didn’t agree, though. “I slipped on the stairs. Shoe news… I mean… new shoes.” She kicked off her shoes and wondered out loud if she could get away with wearing her slippers to school for the afternoon, much to the amusement of her friends.

Forty-five minutes of gaming passed. Despite Marinette’s and Adrien’s coaching, Alya and Nino didn’t seem to get any better, and they insisted Marinette and Adrien play together more often than not. They were a great team, often anticipating each other’s moves and defeating level after level. “Wow, you guys, this is amazing to watch.” Nino piped up. “It’s almost like you two fight bad guys together all the time!”

Marinette dropped her controller. Adrien quickly checked his watch, and excused himself to meet his bodyguard so he could go home for lunch.

**Chapter Six**

Kim wasn’t back in class, which was expected. This gave Chloe ample opportunity to spout off about how she almost died, and it was Kim’s fault, and she was glad that she never went out with him, because he was a loser anyway and she only had eyes for her Adri-kins. Sabrina stood beside her, nodding.

“We were there, you know,” Alix cut her off. “We’re all fine. The only suffering we are going through is having to listen to you blather on about it!” She crossed her arms and put her feet up on the desk.

“Ridiculous! Utterly ri--ADRI-KINS!” Chloe shot out of her seat and rushed to meet Adrien as he entered Ms. Bustier’s classroom. “I’m so excited! I can’t wait! This is going to be amazing!”

Adrien stared at her, puzzled. “This is the most excited I’ve seen you for a History lesson, like, ever, Chloe.” He pushed past her, but before he could sit down, she stepped in front of him again.

“No, not this stupid school. Adri-kins, didn’t your father tell you? My dad told me that your dad and my dad… well, not your dad but your dad’s people… anyway, there’s going to be a model search at the hotel tomorrow night! And you’re going to be one of the judges! Isn’t that amazing? It’s going to be fabulous, all the prettiest people in Paris are going to be at my hotel! I can’t wait!”

Adrien paused. Not only didn’t his father tell him anything about this, he really hadn’t seen him since the previous night’s conversation. While he was used to his father moving his schedule around on him at the last minute, he couldn’t help but wonder if this event and that conversation were related, somehow.

After class ended, the girls in the class except Chloe and Sabrina gathered around Marinette’s phone to see if they could find anything more out about the big event at the hotel. Alec Cataldi was reciting the latest news:

_“Gabriel Agreste shocked Paris today with the startling, sudden announcement that he would be holding a model super-search tomorrow night at Le Grand Paris! We only know a few details so far: First, it’s at 7 PM in the grand ballroom. Second, he is looking for high-school girls. And third, Adrien Agreste is going to be one of the judges! Girls, this sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime, and we’ll be covering it live! Back to you, Nadja.”_

Everybody slowly looked up at one another.

Juleka muttered, “I’m out.”

Rose chastised her, “You could be exactly who they’re looking for!”

Alya looked at Marinette. Something unspoken passed between them. Marinette looked around and saw that Alya wasn’t the only one looking at her.

“Ha-ha, me?” She laughed nervously. “No way! I probably wouldn’t make it down the runway without falling off of it!”

“You’re the best fashion designer in the school, Marinette.”

“There’s no way you’re not entering, at least to show off your latest designs!”

“You already got his attention with the hat, Marinette, there is no way he wouldn’t be interested in your designs!”

Her friends were right. She had a lot of work to do in the next twenty-four hours.

**Chapter Seven**

“Tikki, what am I going to _do_?” Marinette said as she flopped down on her bed. “My brain is filled with everything and nothing at the same time! I have to come up with a design, make it, and then model it for _Adrien_? This is a disaster!”

Her kwami flew in front of her face. “Just breathe, Marinette. We’ll get through this together! Let’s look at some of your designs and see if anything would work.” Marinette walked over to her desk, sat in her chair, wiggled her mouse, and found the folder labeled LATEST DESIGNS, right next to the folder labeled ADRIEN PICS. She double-clicked on the LATEST DESIGNS folder and began scrolling through images.

“Too short… too long… too summer… that’s a swimsuit…”

“What about that one?” Tikki asked, indicating one of Marinette’s more adventurous efforts.

“I am not wearing * _that_ * in front of Adrien. It’s too risque.”

“How about this one, then?” Tikki pointed to a red-and-black dress. “Red and black are my favorite colors, after all. And you look good in them, too.”

Marinette sighed. Tikki had a point, and the dress was beautiful. Maybe she could alter it a bit to be more youthful, but keep the sophistication that Gabriel Agreste was known for. It would take a while, but… “OK, Tikki. That’s the one. Let’s get to work.”

Soon, Marinette’s room was filled with swaths of fabric and the noise of the sewing machine hard at work. Tikki helped by pinning seams and offering advice when she could. She even sneaked down to the kitchen and got them some macaroons to munch on as they worked into the night.

Around three in the morning, the result hung on the dress form.

“It’s gorgeous, Marinette. You did a great job.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Tikki. You’re a great friend… but seeing as how old you are, you’re more like a fairy great-great-great-great-great-godmother.” She poked Tikki. “Let’s get to bed. We still have some work to do tomorrow.”

**Chapter Eight**

Marinette awoke to her parents knocking on the trap door. “Breakfast!” her mom called. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Marinette made her way slowly downstairs and helped herself to some fresh fruit.

“Did you get some rest, sweetie?” her dad asked her. “We heard you upstairs working late last night. Something for the event at the hotel?”

“Yes, Dad. Someone insisted that a special creation of mine be worn specifically for this! I want to make sure it’s perfect.” Marinette felt bad about not saying it was _her_ who was going to be wearing the special creation, but she was nervous enough as it is.

“We’re so proud of you, honey. It’s going to be great!” Her mom gushed as she poured herself some coffee.

“That’s been all over the news since yesterday; I wonder if anything else has happened?” And with those words, Tom Dupain reached for the remote and switched on the television.

_“Nadja Chamack here with breaking news. It looks like there is another supervillain attacking Paris. He’s making his way toward the Marche Bastille. We advise all people in the area to take shelter immediately.”_

Marinette immediately piped up, “Oh, no! I forgot I still have to work on the most crucial part of the dress! At least we’re safe here. I’ll be in my room working hard -- don’t disturb me! I’ll come down when I’m hungry again.” She smiled at her parents and dashed back upstairs. Closing her trap door, she met her waiting kwami and with a low cry of “Tikki, spots on!” she leapt out of her skylight, ready to protect Paris once again.

**Chapter Nine**

Adrien was sitting on the couch in his room staring at the pink shoe he -- well, Cat Noir -- had found two nights ago. When the TV show he had on in the background was interrupted by the news broadcast, he wasted no time. Springing from his seat, he yelled “Plagg, claws out!” His kwami whooped as Adrien Agreste transformed into his superhero persona. Cat Noir extended his staff and leapt out the window.

“What do we have, Bugaboo?” he said when he found Ladybug.

“I’m not sure, Kitty. It looks like this guy has something against this farmers market, but we know what he’s really after…”

“Our miraculous. Right. HEY, UGLY! OVER HERE!” Cat called out. The area was clear of civilians; it was time to get down to business.

“Cat Noir! Follow my lead!” Ladybug leapt off of their perch, giving Cat a moment to admire her bravery and determination before following suit himself.

The battle was quick but not easy. The akuma had infected the victim’s garden spade, which she was using to turn people into pumpkins. Once they captured it and verified that everyone was OK, they pounded fists and prepared to go their separate ways.

“Wait, Ladybug…”

“Kitty, I can’t. I need to give myself more time to get to a safe place to de-transform. Last time I was too rushed and… may have forgotten something.”

“Oh, like giving your favorite partner a peck on the cheek? It’s OK, My Lady, we can make up for that right now.” Cat gave her the widest, flirtiest grin he could manage.

“Silly Kitty,” Ladybug said. She rang the bell on his collar.

“How about if instead of a kiss, you come with me to the fashion show tonight? Skin-tight superhero clothes are always in fashion, you know. Besides, a big event, a large crowd, maybe Hawk Moth tries something again tonight. We can go, spend some time together, and protect Paris at the same time! It would be _paws_ itively _claw_ esome.” He purred a bit to himself over those last puns.

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. “No can do, Kitty. Especially if you’re going to pun me to death all evening.” Her earrings chirped again. “Now, I really have to go before I turn into a pumpkin myself. See you later… Bug out!”

As she swung away on her magic yo-yo, she whispered to herself, “Don’t worry, Kitty… you’ll get your kiss.”

**Chapter Ten**

Despite the short notice, the crowd around Le Grand Paris was enormous. Not much seemed to get Parisiens in one place at the same time, but this certainly did it. Alya, Nino, and Marinette had agreed to meet at a nearby cafe at six to give themselves a chance to get oriented and finish getting ready. As they walked through the crowd toward the contestant entrance, they heard a familiar voice behind them.

“The _baker_ girl? _She’s_ trying to be the next Agreste model? She’s not even dressed up! She can’t even walk without falling over, she’ll probably fall right off the runway!” Marinette turned to face Chloe, who continued, “My daddy helped me get the best exclusive international wear for this event tonight! What’s in your bag, baker girl? A chef’s hat and an apron? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Marinette was very thankful for Alya, who stepped in and mentioned something about Chloe shutting up before Alya made her shut up.

“Bye, baker girl!” Chloe called over her shoulder before moving on to the next person through the door.

“Maybe Chloe thinks that if she can’t win through looks, she can win by having herself be the only entrant. Don’t let her get under your skin, Marinette. You’ve got this in the bag. And speaking of what’s in the bag, how come you haven’t shown me your dress yet? I thought we were BFFs, girl!”

Marinette smiled wanly. Alya was the best friend she had ever had, and she needed the words of encouragement. An aide called, “Changing area, over here!”. Nino excused himself to get seats for him and Alya, and wished Marinette luck. The show started in only half an hour.

“I’ll wait here for you!” Alya reassured her as Marinette stepped through the curtain into her private changing area. Taking a deep breath, she got the contents of her bag ready and began changing into her dress.

Tikki flew around her, every now and then helping Marinette adjust something or nodding approval at her. After Marinette was finished getting ready and had touched up her makeup in a small mirror, Tikki beamed at her.

“Even if you don’t win tonight, Marinette, you’ll definitely catch people’s eye in that. I wouldn’t be surprised if people were beating down your door wanting you to design something for them.”

“Thanks for the kind words, Tikki. You’re the greatest, really. I don’t know how I could have done this without you.” They pressed their heads together in their version of a hug, and Tikki hid in Marinette’s bag with a box of macaroons. It was ten minutes to showtime.

Marinette came out of her changing area and felt people’s eyes looking at her. She flushed slightly and kept walking to where she had left Alya. When she walked through the door, Alya was on her phone, probably sending texts back-and-forth with Nino. When she looked up and saw Marinette, her jaw dropped.

“Um,” Alya managed after a few seconds.

“Is it that bad?” Marinette asked.

“Um,” Alya stammered again.

“Oh no! This is a disaster!” Marinette said, her voice raising.

“No! No! No!” Alya cut her off. “Girl, I knew you were talented, but this is next level. You couldn’t blow them away more if Kim were mixing chemicals next to you.”

Marinette laughed at Alya breaking the tension. The tension came right back, though, as Alya told her what she and Nino were texting about.

“Adrien’s not the only judge tonight, of course. Nino got a sneak peek. The judges are already out there next to the runway. There’s Adrien, and of course Mayor Bourgeois. There was a tremendous scene because Jagged Stone insisted on coming down and being a judge, even though he wasn’t invited.”

Marinette chuckled. Adrien and Jagged Stone both liked her, so that put her at ease again somewhat.

“The final judge is Gabriel Agreste.”

Marinette’s heart jumped to her throat. Of course he would have been. There’s no way he would put together something like this and not be there. He was too in charge, too controlling, to let anyone else have the final word in anything having to do with the Agreste name. Butterflies started up in her stomach, and she absent-mindedly wondered if one of them wouldn’t akumatize her then and there on the spot.

“Breathe, girl. Everything’s going to be great, and you’ll get through this.” Alya gave her a quick squeeze, wished her good luck, and disappeared through the door into the ballroom. There were five minutes before the show started.

“Contestants through this door now, please. Line up on the other side of this curtain, and you’ll be put in the order you are to go on the runway.” The assistant held a portion of the curtain back, and Marinette went backstage apprehensively.

**Chapter Eleven**

Chloe was first, of course. She didn’t even bother to look around at the other contestants when the assistant was arranging them. Despite the crowd and the general excitement, there were only ten girls who were in line. Either they were too intimidated by Gabriel Agreste, or Chloe had driven them all away before they could get in line. Marinette didn’t care either way, as she had been placed third-to-last and was forced to fight her nerves back for the majority of the show.

“Girls, when your name is called, go through the curtain, stop for a count of three, walk to the end of the runway, count to three again, turn around, walk back to the curtain, turn around, count to three, then go off to one side or the other based on the order you came out. Even numbers on one side, odd numbers on the other, please. And don’t forget to smile!”

Smiling was the last thing on Marinette’s mind at this point. She thought she was going to throw up. It was showtime.

The master of ceremonies launched into his introduction, welcoming everyone out to the event, and began introducing the judges. There was polite applause for Mayor Bourgeois. Jagged Stone’s name drew laughter as he yelled something out to the audience that Marinette couldn’t quite hear. Adrien Agreste drew ooh and aahs from the crowd. When Gabriel Agreste was introduced, there was near-rapturous applause.

“Let’s get started with our first contestant!” the voice came from behind the curtain. “Please welcome Miss Chloe Bourgeois!”

Chloe strolled through the curtain with the confidence and air of someone who had not only grown up around high fashion and celebrity, but also with the confidence and air of someone whose daddy had spent a ton of money on her wardrobe. Marinette heard applause and audience chatter from the other side of the curtain.

After a minute that seemed like forever, the next girl’s name was called. The noise from the other side of the curtain seemed to be quieter, but Marinette wasn’t sure because the lump in her throat had settled in her stomach, and the aforementioned butterflies seemed to be attacking that with all their might now. She took a deep breath and composed herself. The third and then the fourth girl had gone through the curtain.

Marinette took small steps toward the curtain. The assistant was muttering reminders to each girl in turn and giving them their cue when their name was called. After an eternity, the assistant chanted, “count to three, walk, count to three, turn, left side.”

“Please welcome Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Marinette stepped through the curtain.

**Chapter Twelve**

Here’s what Marinette saw:

Bright lights. She had been to fashion shows before, but nothing had prepared her for being on stage participating in one. It was almost blinding. She stood there and blinked until her eyes adjusted and she could see the other end of the runway.

Adrien, Mayor Bourgeois, Jagged Stone, and Gabriel Agreste were seated off to her left, taking notes at the judges’ table. They were a bit in silhouette because of the light so Marinette couldn’t see any of them very clearly.

Alya and Nino were on the right side of the runway, but they were wearing very different expressions. Alya had a giant smile on her face. Nino looked flabbergasted and had his jaw almost down past his knees.

“Go!” Marinette heard a voice hiss from behind her. Remembering she had to actually do something, she walked to the other end of the runway, counted to three, then turned around. She started walking back to the curtain, remembering that she had to go to the left side. Thankfully, that was not the side that Chloe was on, because Miss Bourgeois appeared to be completely beside herself. That was comforting. Marinette finished walking, turned around, smiled, and took her place on the left side of the runway.

Here’s what Adrien saw:

Adrien had seen Marinette’s name on the list of contestants and was secretly glad that she decided to come out. He was starting to grow more fond of her and knew that she was a very talented designer. He was excited to see what she had come up with. Although it wasn’t a requirement that the contestants wear their original work, Adrien suspected Marinette would bring one of her own designs.

He had been to fashion shows before, even participated in them, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. He sat there, blinking his eyes in amazement.

Marinette’s dress looked alive on her. It was long and red, with black accents around the neckline. What made the dress so outstanding is that it was sewn in such a way that it seemed to change color as Marinette moved in it. From red, to black, then back to red again. The alternating colors shimmered and the lights shone off the more glittery parts of the dress.

When Marinette reached the end of the runway and turned around, the dress moved in such a way that it appeared the fabric had been poured over her. It was about this time that Adrien noticed other things about Marinette’s look. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail with a long red-and-black Chinese ribbon. There was another red-and-black ribbon tied around her waist, with a bow on the side. The way the ribbon was tied made a distinctive, vaguely familiar red-and-black pattern in the bow.

Such attention to detail! Such an attractive dress!

...And such an attractive girl wearing it, too. Adrien had never appreciated how beautiful Marinette was because she was such a good friend. But now that he saw this side of her, it was all he could do to keep his mouth closed. Marinette turned around and smiled -- at him? -- and made her way to her place on the runway. She looked over and blushed a bit, the red on her cheeks highlighting the dark beauty marks she had drawn on her face earlier. Something in the back of Adrien’s mind was trying to whisper to him, but he wasn’t listening to any other part of himself than his eyes.

Here’s what Chloe saw:

Nah, you’re not reading this to find out what Chloe saw.

**Chapter Thirteen**

When all the contestants had come out, they lined up along the runway for the judges and audience to get one last look at them. They smiled, turned around, smiled some more, and were dismissed backstage to await the judges’ final word. The audience was invited to the restaurant area of the hotel for refreshments as the ballroom cleared out.

Ignoring Chloe for once, Marinette went into her changing area and sat in her chair. Tikki poked her head out of the bag and asked how she thought it went, then admitted she was watching from one of the televisions in the room anyway and thought Marinette did amazing.

“Now, no matter what, Marinette, you did your best and I’m proud of you for having the courage to come out here and do this! You really put yourself out there,” Tikki reassured her.

There was commotion just outside the changing area. Tikki slipped back into her hiding spot as a voice outside said,

“Miss Dupain-Cheng? The judges would like to see you now, please.”

**Chapter Fourteen**

Deadlock.

With four judges on the panel, they couldn’t come to an agreement on a clear winner.

Mayor Bourgeois thought his daughter was the best Paris had to offer and was clearly the winner, and no further discussion was needed.

Jagged Stone thought Marinette had the most rockin’ design. Not only would he not listen, he threatened to sic his crocodile Fang on anyone who dared disagree with him.

Not one to be intimidated, Gabriel Agreste said that while he appreciated Marinette’s design, he thought Chloe was the most poised and had the most experience out of all the contestants. She carried herself like a real model and not awkwardly like Marinette.

Adrien couldn’t make up his mind. Chloe was his childhood friend and he knew that she would fit in well with the high-fashion world. Marinette was the most talented designer and knew that she could contribute to the industry. Plus, she was stunningly beautiful, and modeling skills can be taught, right?

“Well?” Gabriel asked him.

“Thank you all for your input,” Adrien told the other judges. “I can’t decide. We both agree how Marinette and Chloe could win. Father, I propose a tie-breaker.”

“A tie-breaker? How so?”

The voice in the back of Adrien’s mind was a bit more insistent now. “Remember my idea the other night? I know this didn’t turn out to be about shoes, but maybe we could have the girls try on some shoes to see how they wear them?” Adrien offered hopefully.

“Very well,” Gabriel conceded. “Bring Miss Bourgeois and Miss Dupain-Cheng here so we can do this… tie-breaker.” To his assistant he added, “Bring me some shoes.”

**Chapter Fifteen**

Chloe arrived backstage at about the same time Marinette did. Giving Marinette a disdainful look, Chloe strolled through the curtain and said, “Are they lining up all the other girls to announce that I’m the winner in front of them? What’s she doing here?”

Gabriel Agreste spoke: “Miss Bourgeois, the judges have been unable to come to a consensus. We are going to have you do extra modeling in order to determine a final winner.”

“Daddy!” Chloe started.

Mr. Agreste continued, “Since Mayor Bourgeois and Mr. Stone are clearly biased in their opinions, it will be only myself and my son judging you this time. As my son has expressed an interest in shoes, I am entertaining him by having you model various pairs of shoes for us. You will each model three pairs of shoes for us. My assistant will set you up.”

Marinette and Chloe walked over to the shoes that the assistant had brought. “Sorry for the limited selection, ladies, this is the best I could do. Pick out three pair that fit you and be ready to wear them, please.”

Chloe immediately budged Marinette out of the way and picked three of the prettiest pairs of shoes. Marinette fumed at her but also was secretly grateful; it didn’t look like Chloe had checked the sizes first. Marinette looked over the shoes thoughtfully, and was able to choose two pair that were the right size for her. True to form, though, they were a bit wide for her. Sighing, she knew that she would have to make do and returned to sit next to Chloe.

The assistant glanced over at them and said, “You first, Miss Bourgeois.”

Wearing shoes that were obviously too small for her, Chloe made her way onto the runway and awkwardly started strutting around in front of Gabriel and Adrien. Ow-ing and ouch-ing under her breath with every step, it was all she could do to appear graceful and light on her feet as she turned delicately halfway down the runway and hopped over to where she stood after finishing her initial walk.

“Thank you, that will do. Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette stood up and took two hesitant steps forward. It didn’t appear that her feet would fail her -- at least not tonight -- and she gained confidence with each step, even if she too were walking a bit gingerly to prevent the shoes from coming off her feet. She walked from one end of  the runway to the other, and back again to her spot on the other side of Chloe.

“Thanks, Marinette,” Adrien said.

Mr. Agreste called over to them sternly, “Young ladies, are those shoes even the right size for you? Miss Bourgeois, you appear to have crammed your feet into shoes that are more appropriate for a nine-year-old. Miss Dupain-Cheng, your feet don’t seem to take up all of the shoes you chose. Are you wasting my time?”

“This is ridiculous! I have dainty feet!” Chloe whined.

“Sorry, Mr. Agreste. I have narrow feet so usually I have to take in the sides a bit. Here are the shoes I was wearing tonight with this dress.” Marinette offered one shoe each to Adrien and his father. Their expressions as they looked over the shoes were hard for her to judge. Was Adrien frowning?

“Very resourceful of you, miss. However, I am afraid that we are at an impasse yet again. Adrien--” Gabriel broke off because when he turned around, Adrien wasn’t there. “I’m afraid we are going to have to announce no winner for this foolish idea of his, unless anyone else would like to speak up?”

Adrien returned, out of breath. “Father, wait. I think I have something that might help.” And from behind his back he produced a single, pink shoe.

**Chapter Sixteen**

Marinette stared in horror.  How Adrien came into possession of one of her shoes was one question. How he managed to come into possession of this shoe in particular was a question that made her brain stop working entirely.

Nevertheless, it was all there. Pink. Well-worn but not worn-out. Fashionable, but not attention-getting. Probably a size 42, from the looks of it. The real giveaway was the custom stitching along the sides, which would have formed a capital M, except that on one side the stitching had completely blown out.

This time it was Chloe who interrupted her thoughts by loudly declaring “I am not going to wear this shoe! First of all, it’s used and not new, and only poor people wear used clothes. Second, someone else’s yucky foot has been in there. And third, it’s not even a high heel! I only wear high-heels, Daddy says I look the best in those and I tend to agree! Where’s Sabrina? Let _her_ try this -- thing -- on.”

While Mayor Bourgeois, Chloe, and Gabriel all argued about the shoe, Adrien wandered over to Marinette and held it out to her. “I know this seems silly, but may I?” He reached onto the runway and lifted Marinette’s left foot up before she could stop him.

He slipped the shoe onto her foot.

It fit perfectly, except for bulging a bit on the inside where the stitching had blown out.

Adrien looked up at Marinette. The ribbon in her hair. The pattern the bow made on her side. It all made sense now.

He whispered, “My Lady…”

Marinette didn’t stumble this time -- she fainted. But Adrien was there to catch her all the same.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! This is not meant to be part of any series, and will not have a sequel.
> 
> Work is current as of S2, but truth be told it kinda ignores Zombizou since Chloe being a brat is too entertaining.


End file.
